


A Palace Within my Dreams

by Ironically_unironic



Category: Andi Mack (TV), Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld
Genre: A little bit of tyrus in two but mostly in three, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Badass Andi, F/F, F/M, How Do I Tag, However there are plenty of cute moments, M/M, Muffy is definitely in the background, Not too romance based, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Platonic Tandi, Post-Apocalypse, Uglies AU, activist andi, ambi and jandi but mostly andi being a badass single, ambi starts chapter 2, depends on how well this one does, idk if i will do a sequel when this is done, like just andi being a boss, platonic bandi, scientist andi, tyrus is pretty cute in this too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-05
Updated: 2019-09-23
Packaged: 2020-07-31 16:14:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20117920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironically_unironic/pseuds/Ironically_unironic
Summary: Andi Mack has been awaiting her 16th birthday since her friend Jonah got the surgery. However, after a strange family tells her that she is their only hope, Andi needs to step back and look at the full picture.





	1. Activist, not rebel

**Author's Note:**

> This is an AU based off of the Uglies book/series. You don’t need to have read it, I’ll explain most of the concepts and if you have any questions just hmu in my asks.
> 
> My Tumblr is fork-that-shirt

The Good Hair Crew met when they were littlies. They were seven when they first became friends and Cyrus gave the group the name. They kept the name even when they left and got their long-dreaded titles as Uglies. They kept the name when they started making new friends like a boy named Jonah and his ex-girlfriend, Amber

Amber was the oldest and the soonest to leave. The night before she turned 16, the large friend group threw a little party, with milkshakes and baby taters from The Spoon. There were rumors that new pretty town didn’t have one, and The Spoon was one of their favorite places to hang out. Andi was disappointed when she didn’t see Amber at all after that. She had expected she would’ve at least come by and said good-bye.

Next was Jonah. They threw another party, this one a bit more “party-like.” There was music, dancing, a wide assortment of snacks, and more people than anyone in the GHC was prepared for. Turns out Jonah had a lot more friends then they had realized. Jonah hadn’t stopped to say goodbye either, but he had sent a picture. Andi was immediately mesmerized. They had lifted his cheekbones, right to the point where his dimples were still there, but probably wouldn’t be if they were any higher. His eyes were more vivid and striking, and his face was just overall pretty. It was that day that Andi Mack truly got excited about her sixteenth birthday.

Cyrus was the most recent one, only about a month ago. Cyrus didn’t want a party. He had said, “I’ll see you both soon, we don’t need a fancy party!” But later that night they found themselves at The Spoon, laughing but sad nonetheless. At midnight, they headed to bed. Andi was prepared to not see Cyrus again, but she woke up to a very different Cyrus.

He definitely was pretty. His hair was now finer, and sleek, but fluffy. Andi could see little gold flecks in his now very rich chocolate eyes. His smile was picture perfect, and they had even fixed the nose Cyrus always said he hated. However, that wasn’t the thing that stuck out to Andi. He seemed weird. Like he was still Cyrus, but his personality was different. He was very bubbly, but unnaturally obedient. Almost like one of those little toy robots they had found in some Rusty rubble.

Now, in just two weeks, it would be Andi’s turn. Andi was ecstatic. Not only was she excited to be pretty, but pretties didn’t have to go to school. It seemed like all they did was party. That was what it looked like that time she snuck into New Pretty Town. That was a fairly easy task. She had figured out how to safely remove and replace the tracking bracelet, had made a fake one for emergencies, and didn’t even get questioned about it.

Andi did take authority seriously. However, if a rule was unfair she would make sure others knew. If the rule wasn’t changed she would protest or break it anyways. That was how she got into crafting. It was why she cut her hair. It was why she snuck into New Pretty Town. Some of Jonah’s friends called her a rebel. Andi preferred the term activist. All she was doing was standing up for what she believed in. Wasn’t really that crazy idea.

Andi saw the ping. She rolled over and groggily opened it. 

We should go to see Cyrus. You’ve snuck over before, right? I really miss him

It was from Buffy. The message made Andi feel a little guilty. Andi probably should have invited Buffy the first time, but it was a spur of the moment decision. She was about to fall asleep but found herself taking off the bracelet and speeding off toward New Pretty Town. She wasn't even going to find Cyrus. She just wanted to see if it was possible. Truth be told she had no idea how Buffy even found out about it.

She sent a quick ping back, then got out of bed. It was seven, and the best time to head over was just before the sun had fully set. She had just under 2 hours to get the tracker out of another hoverboard.

It was 8:30 when Buffy got to her room, about 15 minutes before the planned time to leave. Andi had just finished the third hoverboard and removed her tracker. She couldn’t be too careful when it came to sneaking out and walking back would be a huge pain.

She rushed Buffy in and sat her on her bed. “Any chance you’ve brought your numbing pills?” Buffy shook her head. “Use mine. They might not completely numb you but it should take away most of this pain.”

Andi grabbed her numbing pills and tossed them over to Buffy. 20 years ago this wouldn’t have been so hard, but after the Tally Youngblood incident, the city had upgraded the technology on these trackers. she set a five-minute timer and started collecting her supplies. The gloves, the neede, the serum, all of it was set on the table. As the timer went off Andi got the shot ready. Buffy was looking at her with fear in her eyes. To be fair, shots hadn’t been used since the Rusties, but the needle was the best way to keep the swelling in the arm.

“You won’t even feel anything, I’ve practiced this a hundred times,” Andi motioned to her legs. They were covered in tiny little scars, the ones closer to her ankles almost gone. Andi grabbed Buffy’s arm and ran through the game plan with Buffy. “So, I’m going to stick this in your arm. At most, you will feel a pinch. You will have exactly one minute until your arm has swelled enough and your bracelet adapts. At that point, I’ll stick another needle in. I have to immediately dispose of it, so I’ll need you to count to exactly 10 and take it off as fast as possible. If you go any sooner or later, it will not work. You ready?”

Buffy nodded and Andi injected the first serum and quickly threw it out the window. She had to. The chemicals in it could trigger alarms in the building, and if anyone found out it was her, she was in trouble. She quickly prepared the next shot, and as soon as the timer went off it was injected. Andi ran to the window to throw it out. She really wanted to see Buffy’s reaction to it working. Sure enough, Buffy watched in awe as the swelling went down. Buffy quickly removed it and threw it across the room, thankfully onto an old Rusty pipe, so as not to ruin it.

“Thank god you have perfect aim. I forgot to tell you to put it on something so it doesn’t break,” Andi sighed in relief

Buffy was staring at her, awestruck. “How did you figure that out? Because honestly, if you don’t think injecting homemade substances into your arm makes you a rebel, I don’t know what does.”

Andi rolled her eyes. “I’m an activist Buffy. There’s a difference. Rebels break rules for fun. Activists break rules to make a change.”

“What kind of change is sneaking into New Pretty Town to see your friend supposed to provoke?”

“That’s not the reason I made the serum.”

“Either way, you're like the next Tally Youngblood,” Buffy said as she grabbed a hoverboard and headed towards the door.

“No, I’m not!” Andi shouted, grabbing her hoverboard and the extra. She raced to the door and locked it on the way out.

“Tally Youngblood died”

Everyone knew the story of Tally Youngblood. She was an activist as well, but no one knew what she was fighting for. Sure there were rumors. Some say she was trying to allow any age to get the surgery like Andi was. Some say she just wanted Pretties and Uglies to live amongst each other. There were people who said that she was trying to get rid of the surgery altogether, but Andi didn’t believe that. The only thing everyone truly knew was that whatever she was fighting for, got her killed.

It was super mysterious. All of Tally’s friends disappeared, and Tally’s body was found in a Rusty junkyard. In fact, the death was so covered up that there were fewer articles about Tally herself and more about the suing of the people that wrote them. The absence of media coverage was what really got people into learning the story. Andi’s mom had told her all about Tally.

Buffy wasn’t even the first person to say she was the next Tally. Her mom had when she attempted to protest being separated from her mother. Cyrus had when she cut her hair. Amber had when she started crafting. They were such small things. Doing things that should be completely fair isn’t always to shame authority. Sometimes it is just to prove that nothing bad is going to happen. 

Buffy and Andi had done it. They had snuck into New Pretty Town. Buffy was blown away. Andi had been the first time she saw it too. It’s pretty similar to home but more lively. Parties on rooftops, people jumping from buildings, light. It looked so exciting. This was what Andi had been anticipating since Jonah got his surgery. This is what Andi wanted more than anything. A life where she could be defined as more than an Ugly. 

“Do you know where Cyrus would be?” Buffy asked breathlessly.

Andi couldn’t believe it took her so long to realize. She had no idea where Cyrus was. At least Buffy was determined to find him

It was 10:30 when they finally found him. He was having an in-depth conversation with someone about how Rusty music was 100 times better than anything after the apocalypse. When he saw the two girls he immediately ended the conversation and pulled them into a hug.

“How did you get here? How did you get your tracker bracelets off? Are you sure you’re not being tracked? I think they put trackers in the hoverboards too. Is there something wrong? Did someone die? Guys maybe-”

“Cyrus!”

“I’m sorry. But seriously, are you being tracked because if so, the risk of being caught here is way higher.”

“Nope,” Andi grinned. “Got every single tracker out of these boards. I’ve tested them too. Completely tracker free.”

“Oh perfect. I was worried.” Cyrus smiled. “I’ve got so much to catch you up on…”

It was almost 2 am when Andi and Buffy started to head back. The air was nice and cool, but not too much breeze. The streetlights guided them through the city of the dying down partying. They did have to move fast though. Now that the city was dying down for the night if anyone found them they would be dead meat.

As they exited New Pretty Town, Andi turned to Buffy. “Can you imagine that being your life? And to think, that will be us pretty soon.”

“Andi, I don’t think I’m gonna do it,” Buffy admitted.

“Do what?”

“Get the surgery. Move to New Pretty Town. Live my typical teenage life.” Buffy looked right at the breaking point. “I love both you and Cyrus, but there is something suspicious going on. I just don’t think this is right for me.”

“But Buffy… “

“You don’t understand,” she muttered and sped off into the distance.

Andi was confused. She had never known Buffy didn’t want the surgery. Was Buffy insecure? Besides, all Cyrus was feeling was self-confident. There was nothing suspicious going on. 

A flash of light in the distance disrupted her thoughts. It came from around a corner she had just passed. She turned around. A flashing light was usually a sign that someone needed help. However, as she rounded the corner she was met with a guy that looked more like the guy you needed saving from. Tall, dressed in all black. Looked nice, but not her type, and definitely not a Pretty. He did look old enough to be a Pretty, which threw Andi off.

“What do you want?”

“I’m looking for someone,” the guy said, emotionlessly.

“Who in the world are you looking for at 2 in the morning?”

“You.”

“Look, sorry dude, but I’m not looking to date some random stalker that I met on the street in the middle of the night,” Andi scoffed.

The guy simply rolled his eyes. “You’re Andi Mack, right?”

Now Andi wasn’t freaked out so much as curious. Who was this random guy who knew who she was? 

The guy motioned at the board. “That’s not tracked right?”

Andi shook her head. The guy grabbed the board and hopped on. He obviously hadn’t been on a hoverboard in a while, as he wobbled when he first got on. However, we quickly gain his balance and headed towards the woods along the outside of the city and motioned Andi to follow.

“Who even are you? What makes you think I should come with you?”

“The name’s Kippen. You can call me Kippen. And you should come with me because I need your help. All my people need your help. All your people need your help. Everyone in this messed-up city needs your help.”


	2. We're On Each Other's Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Andi continues her journey with this mysterious figure, she learns something interesting about his identity. She finds herself reacquainted with an old friend. But, now there’s no going back. Not for anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long to get done. I am really bad at having a set schedule for my writing. Either way, this chapter is pretty dialogue-heavy but they won’t all be that way. There is also an awkward, uncomfortable coming out scene that won’t be fully explained for a while. You’ll see.

Andi didn’t know what compelled her to follow this mysterious figure. She didn’t know him. He obviously hadn’t gotten the memo on how it worked there. It must have been the tinge of hope in his voice when he asked her for help.

TJ turned the corner into a familiar junkyard. Andi had enjoyed this Rusty junkyard in her early Ugly years. Later, she had found better ones, but she always had a soft spot for this one. It was where she had met Amber and Jonah. It was where she discovered her love for creating things. A good chunk of life had happened here.

“I’ve seen you here a lot.” TJ grinned. Now Andi was thrown off. She was sure he wasn’t a stalker, but she never shared this space with anyone else. 

“How do you even know who I am? Seriously this time.”

TJ looked at his feet. Was he actually a stalker? “She’s going to kill me,” he muttered. He fiddled with the front of his hair, twisting the ends.

“My sister is a fan of yours,” he cautiously started. “We need help and she said you were our best option.”

That was weird. Andi only told her close friends what she was up to. So how did this mysterious TJ Kippen’s sister know anything about her?

It hit her. Kippen. As in Amber Kippen. As in “My family is a group of criminals so I ran away” Amber Kippen. As in this man in front of her was none other than Thelonious Jagger Kippen. 

TJ grabbed her arm. “She knew this would happen. I know you are scared and you have every right to be. But just wait. Let me and Amber tell you the whole story. If you can’t help, then you can just continue living life as if it never happened. Please?”

There it was again. The tinge of hope. The thing that drew Andi to those who truly needed help.

The reason she continued with TJ through the woods.

Andi didn’t really know what she was expecting, but it wasn’t this. It was set up like a Rusty neighborhood, but older than the ones in the textbook. They were like what Rusties call “houses” but smaller. There was a surprising amount of fire, something Andi had only used for candles. 

TJ hopped off of the board and grabbed it. He started walking towards a slightly larger house.

Andi wasn’t sure why TJ had gotten off his board until she and her board dropped to the ground. Right. City boundaries. That meant it was vital that each and every tracker had been removed from the boards. She had never been caught before, so she must have gotten them all out. Anxiety flooded her senses regardless.

“Amber talks about you a lot.” 

Seriously, Andi shouldn’t have been so shaken about that. She and Amber used to be friends. Andi still talked about Amber to Buffy. Why was this any different?

“What even is this place?” Andi asked, hoping it wasn’t too obvious she was changing the subject. It was, but TJ didn’t say anything about it.

“Depends who you ask,” he sighed. “My friend Marty calls it New Rusty City, Amber calls it Rustytown. My mom calls it The Village, Dad calls it The Town of Fire, like a dork. My friend Auburn, she always acts all corny and says, “I call it home,” but that’s stupid. All the names are stupid because, in the end, this is just another patch of land we are going to have to evacuate in a few months!”

Wow. It really did seem as though he had kept that bottled up for a long time. Andi didn’t know what to say, so she did the only thing she could think to do. She set down her board and wrapped her arms around TJ in a gentle hug. Nothing too serious- just a friendly hug. At first, TJ froze in shock, but Andi could tell he appreciated it. As they pulled apart, TJ started playing with his fingernails again.

“Andi, no offense or anything, you really are great, but I’m..” TJ stammered.

“What?”

“I’m gay.”

Andi couldn’t help herself. She laughed. She wasn’t making fun of TJ. Andi just thought it was funny that TJ though she liked him.

“You know what, I think maybe you should go…” TJ started before Andi cut him off.

“I’m not into you. I promise I’m not trying to sound mean, but you’re not really my type.”

TJ looked better, but it obviously wasn’t because of what she said. TJ got back to walking towards the house without saying a word.

“Besides, you don’t have to worry about thinking you like boys. My friend Cyrus used to think he was gay, but recently told me all those feelings went away…”

TJ’s head whipped around so fast that Andi could feel a gust of air hit her in the face. His eyes were the size of saucers, and he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“What?” Andi asked.

“Your friend, this Cyrus kid,” TJ starts, breathily, “he’s a Pretty, isn’t he?”

“Yeah! Do you think maybe he didn’t realize he liked girls until he saw how pretty they can be? Or maybe he said he was gay so he didn’t feel bad about not being able to get a girlfriend! Oh, or maybe-”

Andi was cut off by the realization that TJ had gone back to walking. That was weird. Just a few seconds ago, he looked like the world was ending, and now he looked solemn again. Either way, Andi caught up to TJ. TJ didn’t really seem interested in talking right now., so Andi quietly walked a couple steps behind him. Had she said something wrong?

Meanwhile, thoughts were rushing through TJ’s head. If what Andi said was true, they were in worse trouble than they had thought.

The rest of the walk was uncomfortable, but at least there wasn’t that much of a walk left. As the two rounded the final corner, Andi got a true look at the little house. There was a beautiful tree right beside the front door. It wasn’t that Andi had never seen a tree before, but she had never seen one quite like this. It was small, and it had tiny little pink things on it. It was beautiful.

“That’s Amber’s cherry blossom tree. She knows she’s going to have to let it go next time the specials find us, but she loves it anyway,” TJ sighed. “I wish I had that kind of hope.”

As the two went inside, Andi heard someone groan.

“Stay here, Amber might freak out if she sees you right away.”

TJ walked casually into the house. Andi saw Amber’s ponytail and immediately hid in a corner.

“See you still haven’t found her. If we can’t get in contact with her soon, we’re going to have to find someone else.”

“Yeah. But I know how much you want Andi”

So they were talking about her. How long had they been looking for her?

“Hey, where did you get that?” Amber asked.

Shoot. TJ had taken the hoverboard. Now TJ had about 10 seconds to explain before-

“You found her,” she murmured.

“What?” TJ said, unconvincingly.

“Where is she? Did you annoy her away? I knew I should have been on patrol today. I can’t believe you! Now, we’re never going to be able to- Andi!’

Andi turned around. Sure enough, there was Amber. She obviously had run away without getting the surgery, because she definitely didn’t look like a Pretty. She was pretty, sure, but not a Pretty. Her waves weren't even, her eyebrows were thick, and her clothes looked pretty old. Regardless, Andi was overjoyed to see Amber. It had been almost a year since the last time they had seen each other.

“How are you? I haven’t seen you since my sixteenth birthday!” Amber squealed as she hugged Andi.

Andi giggled. She really did miss Amber. “I have so much to tell you!”

The rest of the evening was spent catching up with Amber. Amber wouldn’t share a lot, like why she didn’t get the surgery, why she was still with her family, what was going on, but she did learn a lot. She learned about the underrated Rusty invention of the “pull-out couch.” She learned how to make a cake from scratch. She learned more about the two Rusty musicians TJ was named after, and even listened to some of the music themselves.

Around midnight the two girls headed to the bedroom. Andi got to use the pull-out couch. And Andi tried to fall asleep. She really did. Too much was running through her brain. Why didn’t Amber become a pretty? Why did she lie to all her friends? Were the Kippens actually criminals? And most of all, why was she here? 

Andi needed some fresh air. She quietly got off the bed and crept outside. She didn’t expect to see TJ sitting against the cherry blossom tree.

“TJ? What are you doing here?”

TJ looked up. “Could ask you the same thing.”

“But you didn’t.”

“I just needed some fresh air.” TJ sighed

Andi walked over to the tree. TJ visibly tensed up. Andi didn’t know what to do.

“I’m sorry. About earlier. I know I sounded like I was invalidating your feelings. I don’t really know anybody who is gay. Maybe your feelings will go away like Cyrus’s did. Maybe they won’t. It wasn’t fair of me to assume.”

TJ’s eyes softened, but there was still a look of concern on his face. Almost pity.

‘When are you really going to tell me why I’m here?” Andi wondered aloud.

TJ sighed. “Tomorrow. I just didn’t want to ruin either you or Amber’s day. Once you find out, it will be hard to smile for a long time.”

“Well then thank you TJ. It means a lot.” Andi headed back towards the door when she heard distant voices. They were panting, and far away but Andi could recognize those voices anywhere.

“Buffy? Cyrus?” Andi started running toward the voices, eventually hearing TJ catch up to her, and as they rounded the corner, Andi saw them. They were covered in sweat, Cyrus was getting draggy and looking at the ground, and all they had was a small device that Buffy was carrying.

“I told you it would be her. No one sneaks outside of city limits but her” Buffy panted. Cyrus looked up and Andi heard an almost inaudible gasp beside her. TJ.

“Who? Why? What?” TJ stammered. Oh dear.

Cyrus spoke up, still panting. “I’m Cyrus, and this is my friend Buffy. We’re here because whatever secret organization this is, is in danger”

Now Andi was confused. “How did you find this place?”

“Well, long story short, you must have missed some of the trackers in your boards, because two lead us to this location.”

No. No this couldn’t be. Andi had never gotten caught before. Were the authorities just letting her get away with it? Did she just forget one in the last board she did? A wave of guilt washed over her. This was her fault. Her friends were going to lose their home again, thanks to her.

She turned to TJ, who had frozen in shock. “TJ you said things like this have happened before. We need to get people out of here. What do we need to do?”

TJ was still frozen. But, slowly, he choked out. “Tell Amber. She’ll help you evacuate the town.”

Buffy rushed over to Andi. “Amber’s here? And the whole town needs to evacuate? Not just you?” she whispered.

“I still haven’t been told why I’m here,” Andi whispered back. She turned to Cyrus. “Cyrus, stay here with TJ until he calms down. This is stressful for him. I’m going to go get Amber and when TJ is ready, he’ll take you to the house.”

There was terror in everyone’s eyes. Buffy and Andi started running back towards the house. Cyrus started to try to calm TJ down. Specials were on their way. And worst of all, if Andi thought this was the worst that could happen, she was very, very, very, very sadly mistaken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have never read the book Uglies (which I would suggest, it’s very well written) and you hope to, I would before reading the next chapter. The story is dramatically changed, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be any spoilers.
> 
> Either way, school starts tomorrow for me, so idk when the next update will be. Either way, I hope you liked it!
> 
> Leave kudos/comments they are one of the most motivating things. If you have any questions, my tumblr is fork-that-shirt.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TL;DR it's temporarily discontinued

Hey, for any of yall still reading this, this is going to be temporarily discontinued. My friends found my Tumblr and this fic and while I know it is good-natured I think I need a break, at least for a little bit. Thanks for understanding!

**Author's Note:**

> Welp, I ended up turning the first two chapters into one but at least it's pretty good I think.


End file.
